REVIEW: Keis Heated Vest and Lithium Battery Pack

RRP: £149.99 for the Vest with Free controller and £64.98 for Lithium Battery Pack // Sizes: S-L

Tested by: Andy Catton

I wore this on some early winter rides in 2017 however the Keis Heated Vest came into its own yesterday evening.

One YZF 125 to collect and bring home for my partner in Birmingham, a brisk evening and 106 miles on a 125, the first hour and a bit on motorways not a natural habitat for the bike – this Keis vest kept me safe and warm throughout for the entire trip. The vest was comfy to wear, snug fitting, it is well made and looks smart (It works on winter walks and bicycle rides too!). I discovered although perhaps should have thought about this before but wearing over two cotton T Shirts it is not as effective on the medium setting however swapped clothing around when stopped for a coffee and put under one T Shirt and another on top, then fleece and bike jacket – on the high setting I remained toastie for an hour and a half until the battery ran out on the last leg in Wragby (Battery life so far has been two and a half hours), it cooled slowly too so the entire journey was a safe success – no chattering teeth upon arrival and I enjoyed the ride.

In terms of use out of the handy box, the Keis vest is easy to set up, the lithium battery comes with some charge however experience with batteries meant I decided to read the instructions which are clear and charge up the battery fully as Keis recommend – indicated by a green light on the charger and an led charge status on the battery itself. Alternatively you can charge the battery by USB. The other option which I have not tested is using the supplied 12 volt suitable, heavy duty, motorcycle battery cables – this would be suitable if you are using just one motorcycle all the time or would like to have heat for longer periods of time for touring. Other features include the ability to plug in Keis heated gloves and trousers to the jacket. The connections are all very sturdy and everything fits together with a quality feel and looks well weather proofed and the controller is easy to operate with gloved hands, there are three setting high and medium both great I did not try the lowest setting. Overall I rate this item – having ridden through cold winters using heated grips and many many layers for years, I was excited about the concept behind heated vests that it keeps your core warm and so your extremities stay warm too and it certainly works effectively for hands and feet, making riding safer and more fun and to some extent longer journeys possible.

For more information, visit: www.keisapparel.co.uk